Choices
by anajet
Summary: What if Mary and Sir Richard meet much earlier? What if the Earl of Grantham had money problem? What if it took Murray some time to find the next heir? Pairing: Mary/Richard, Mary/Matthew, Sybil/Branson
1. Chapter 1

_What if Mary and Sir Richard meet much earlier? What if the Earl of Grantham had money problem? What if it took Murray some time to find the next heir?_

_Pairing: Mary/Richard, Mary/Matthew, Sybil/Branson_

**Choices Chapter 1**

Cousin Patrick was dead. Of course she was sad about it, but she was also happy, she didn't have to marry him. Her father had asked to talk with her in the library.

- Mary, there is something I have to tell you about me, Downton and Patrick.

- What?

- I've lost a lot of money lately. When you married Patrick he had agreed to help financially.

- What?

- But now, now I don't know where we should get the money and I have to save Downton, you know how much it means for me and I know you love this place.

- You know I do.

- Now, I don't know who my next heir is Mary I need you to help me save Downton, ok?

- Of course… But I…

xxxxx

That was a week ago. The talk had ended with an argument about Mary's duties to Downton and her father's wishes that she would find someone rich who could lend him the money.

Now in her aunts home in Eaton square she was preparing for a party trying not to think what her father wished from her. What she didn't now was that her aunt was discussing her future with one of the guest in her study downstairs.

xxxxx

- She is the eldest daughter of the Earl of Grantham, she will give you the position you need.

- Do you think she will accept me?

- She is young and naïve, I'm sure that you can make sure that she has no other choice.

- You want me to seduce her?

- I want you to use every power you got to make sure that you are married with my niece with in a month. If you're first child is born early then so be it.

- And there will be no maids in her room in the morning?

- Not until she calls for them…

xxxxx

- Mary, there is someone I like you to meet.

Mary followed her aunt as she guided her towards this someone. She could only see his back as he was looking at one of her aunt's paintings.

- Sir Richard Carlisle this is my eldest niece, Lady Mary, Mary this is my friend Sir Richard.

- My pleasure. Richard took her hand and kissed it.

- Ohh, what are they… Excuse me. Rosamund walked away from the couple.

He was very charming, and he was quite handsome. But he was a lot older then she was, she guessed around 40, which would mean that he was twice her age. They continued to speak; he was a very good listener. It actually seemed like he cared about her opinions.

- Would you like to dance?

He surprised her, they had been talking for a while and she would have thought that he would have asked her earlier, but now she had thought he wasn't someone who enjoyed dancing.

- Yes.

They danced three dances, the clock was pretty late and many of the guests had all ready left. Between sets they had drunk some wine. She had tried to not drink too much, and she felt pretty clear in her head. He held her closer and closer, as the third dance came to an end she felt his mouth next to her ear.

- Let's get some air before we call it a night.

She was about to say that it probably wasn't proper, but his look stopped her, it wasn't one to say no to.

They walked in silence for a while in the garden.

- So do you miss Downton?

- I miss my family, and yes, I guess I miss Downton as well.

They had entered one of the gazebos; Mary was standing next to the fence looking out.

- It's very beautiful here.

- Yes it is.

As she answered him she turned so that she was facing him. All the sudden she was pressed against the fence by Sir Richards body and then he was kissing her, his hands grabbing her waist.

- Sir Richard I don't…

- I think we need to see more of each other. It's a good thing that both of us is sleeping under the same roof.

With those words he walked away.

xxxxx

Later that evening Mary sat in her bed reading. All the sudden the door opened.

- Sir Richard! She jumped out of bed grabbing her blanket.

- Sshh, now we don't want people to hear us.

He was walking towards her removing his robe.

- I think you should leave, if someone found out…

- Sshh, no one will find out.

He was just in front of her now, his hands grabbed her waist, and then he was whispering in to her ear:

- Now, you do want to save Downton don't you? Don't worry, I will marry you and I will save Downton…

Then he was kissing her neck and pushing her backward towards the bed.

- Sir Richard, I don't think this is appropriate…

- Sshh, you do want to save Downton don't you? You want your family to be happy don't you?

- Yes I do, but…

- No buts, I will help you, but I want something in return.

- What?

- You!

Suddenly she felt the bed and Sir Richard lowered her into it. Then he was on top of her. He moved his mouth to cover hers and then she was kissing him back moving her arms around the neck. She felt how his hands caressed her body and then all the sudden she heard her self moan. Then she felt how he was tugging her nightgown upward over her hips, belly, breasts and lastly her head. She had never been naked with someone else then her mother and maid before, she felt a blush.

- You're so beautiful, he murmured as he kissed and caressed her breasts.

Then she felt his hands tugging her legs apart and covering her womanhood. As Richards fingers began to move she felt how her breath became more rapid and a tingling feeling from down there. It became more and more intense, she had never felt anything like it before and it felt really good. As she piked Richard stopped touching her and removed his pyjamas jacket and trousers. He tugged her legs apart again and lowered himself between then. Then he was whispering in to her ear again.

- Don't worry; we will be married with in a month…

Then she felt a sharp pain and then Richard was moving on top of her grunting. He was big.

- So good…

He grabbed one of her legs by her knee and pulled it upwards. She felt how his thrusts were even deeper now. He was panting and after a while so was she. Then he began to thrust harder and faster against her. She heard how their bodies came together and then he stopped, she felt how he was shaking.

xxxxx

A couple of hours later she awoke by hands caressing her. It took her a moment to remember that she wasn't alone in bed and that Sir Richard was laying behind her caressing her breasts and womanhood.

- Good you're awake…

She felt how he entered her again. This position felt different, like he was touching other parts of her making her moan and start to panting faster. He took his time, first moving slow, then hard and fast, and then slow again and so on. Mary felt herself pike several times. Then Richard groaned and she felt him pike deep inside.

- You feel so good; you will give me so many children. His mouth was by her ear and his voice low.

It took Mary some time to fall asleep again. What had she done? She had a man in her bedroom. She had been intimate with a man. No, not just any man, her fiancé. She hadn't screamed when he entered her bedroom, no she had accepted him. Not by saying yes, no by kissing him back. She was engaged to marry Sir Richard Carlisle. She wondered how her father would react. Somehow she thought her father hadn't thought of a man like Sir Richard when he had asked her to marry rich to save Downton. She smiled, it really felt rebellious.

xxxxx

When she opened her eyes the next morning she felt how she began to panic, Sir Richard was still in her bed. There would be a maid in her room very soon.

- Sir Richard. She shook him lightly. Sir Richard!

- Mmmhhhm…

- You have to leave, the maid…

- Don't worry…

- But they can't find you here.

- No one will find me here. Don't worry.

- What do you mean?

- No maid will come to your room this morning.

- What? Why?

- Because I told them not to come until you pull the bell. When I want something then I get it.

He pulled her towards him and began to kiss her. Then he pushed her on her back and rolled on top of her.

- Now this is a better way to awake, don't you think?

His touch felt really good. He was heavier on her this time. His upper body was laying on hers only his lower part moving fast and hard. It did feel good, but she felt like something was missing.

xxxxx

- A telegram from Lady Mary my lord.

- Thank you Carson.

- Ohh my goodness…

- What is it papa?

The Earl of Grantham looked at his youngest daughter.

- Mary is engaged…


	2. Chapter 2

_What if Mary and Sir Richard meet much earlier? What if the Earl of Grantham had money problem? What if it took Murray some time to find the next heir?_

_Pairing: Mary/Richard, Mary/Matthew, Sybil/Branson_

**Chapter 2**

Her father hadn't responded to her telegram, she wasn't surprised. Now two weeks later she was heading back to Downton. But this time she wasn't alone, this time she had a fiancé with her. They had spent a lot of time together, mostly in bed. Mary knew it was wrong, they should have waited until they where married. But now they had to marry, no matter what her parents or her granny said. Richard had suggested that they would go for a long honeymoon after they got married, if she were all ready with child then people wouldn't know when she began to show. Two more weeks, then she would be Mrs Richard Carlisle.

The new chauffeur, Branson, picks them up from the train station. When they come closer to Downton she sees her family and the servants standing outside waiting to greet them.

- Mary! Her mother smiled and hugged her.

- Mama, this is Sir Richard, my fiancé.

- A pleasure to meet Countess of Grantham.

- Please, call me Cora.

- Then I most ask you to call me Richard. He answered smiling.

- Papa

- Mary

- Your lordship

- Sir Richard

Mary knew that her father wouldn't be happy with her choice of husband, and she had told Richard so wanting him to be her ally.

- These are my sisters, Edith and Sybil.

- Ladies, it's a pleasure.

xxxxx

Feeling the need to get out of the house Mary suggested that they would take a walk before dinner.

- So this is where a young Lady Mary used to run around.

- Ladies doesn't run, but we ride. Come I want you to meet Diamond.

They entered the stables.

- Diamond, this is my fiancé Sir Richard, Richard this is my horse, Diamond.

- Hello Diamond, now don't worry, I will take good care of her.

She feels how Richard begins to cradle her back, then he pulls her towards him and kisses her. Then she feels how he begins to tug her skirt upward.

- Richard, someone might come…

- Your father sent Lynch away on an errand.

He pushes her backwards, and then she feels the wall. Her skirt is tugged around her waste and Richard is pulling her panties down. His fingers find her womanhood and Mary begins to remove his belt and open his trousers. Then he lifts her; instinctive she pulls her legs around him. The wall is hard; she will probably be bruised in the morning. He is rougher then he uses to be, it only takes a couple of minutes until he has finished.

xxxxx

Later at dinner Mary is seated next to Richard, her father is on the other side of the table.

- So Sir Richard, Mary has told me you're a newspaperman.

- Yes your Ladyship, I own several newspapers.

- Oohh.

- He is a businessman Granny.

The dinner is very calm, a lot of small talk, except for Mary's father who keeps silent. As the servants has finished serving the dessert Mary feels Richards hand caressing her thigh.

- Mary, have you bought a wedding dress?

It's Sybil who asks her.

- Yes I have, Rosamund helped me pick one out in London.

- How lovely.

Mary gives her sister a smile; Richards's hand is still caressing her thigh. She suddenly feels someone is looking at her; she looks up and meets her father's stare.

- If you excuse me, I just got a very bad headache.

With those words Mary leaves the table. She hears Richard mumbling an excuse and then she hears his footsteps following her. As she enters the second floor he catches up with her.

- Which room is yours?

- Richard, I don't…

His facial appearance tells her not to argue, instead she leads him to her room.

xxxxx

- Thank you Anna, but I can manage on my own tonight.

- Yes my lady.

She closes the door; Richard steps out from his hiding place.

- Lock it.

She does as he asks her.

- Now we need to get you out of this dress, turn around.

She feels his fingers working on her dress and then her corset. He removes her chemise and then he is kissing her neck. One of his arms is around her waist; he uses the other one to open his pants. Then he is grabbing one of her hands making her grab him moving her hand up and down. He leads her towards her bed.

- Stand on your knees and support yourself with your arms.

He is standing behind her, still fully clothed. Suddenly she feels his mouth and then his tongue. She tries to cover her moans. Then she feels how she will pike, it takes a lot of energy to not lie down. He enters her as she is still panting. He is mixing slow strokes with hard and fast.

xxxxx

It feels like time is flying by. Mary spends most of her days planning the wedding. Richard has to go back to London for a couple of days. One evening she is sitting in her bedroom reading when her mother knocks on the door.

- Mama?

- I just wanted to see how you are?

- I'm fine.

- Are you really?

Cora walks towards her bed and sits down.

- Yes, I'm fine.

- It's just…

- What?

- You leave for London and then all the sudden you're engaged to a man twice your age. I have never heard you mention him before.

Suddenly she feels like telling everything.

- I have never mentioned him before because I have only known him for three weeks.

- You have only known him for three weeks, but you have been engaged for three weeks…

- Yes… Well, papa needs the money now doesn't he?

- Mary…

- Well, he does, doesn't he?

- Yes he does, but a marriage is a very long commitment. Are you sure that you want to be committed to Sir Richard for forty years?

- I don't have a choice…

- Of course you do, I'm sure your papa…

- I'm with child.

- What?

- I'm expecting Richards's child.

- Mary!

- He didn't force me; he said that he would marry me and that he would save Downton.

xxxxx

It's her wedding day. She awakes feeling sick, as she has for two week now. When her monthly didn't come, as it should have, she asked Richard to make an appointment with a doctor in London. He confirmed her suspicions, she was with child and Richard had been delighted.

xxxxx

Her father leads her down the aisle; they make their vows and then the priest pronounce them as husband and wife.

They will spend their honeymoon in America, or more precisely two months.

xxxxx

They spend a lot of time meeting "important people" as Richard calls them. Everybody wants to meet the beautiful Lady Mary, the daughter of an Earl. But they never leave the parties or dinner together. Mary often feels tired and turns in early. Richards stays out late. They are still intimate with each other quite often, more or less on a daily basis. Richard tells her that he expects her to be intimate with him as often as he wants, they need to find a big house so that they can fill it with children.

- This arrived for you from your mother.

- Thank you.

She opens the envelope.

- They have found my fathers new heir, a Matthew Crawley


	3. Chapter 3

_What if Mary and Sir Richard meet much earlier? What if the Earl of Grantham had money problem? What if it took Murray some time to find the next heir?_

_Pairing: Mary/Richard, Mary/Matthew, Sybil/Branson_

__I'm sorry for the delay, computer problems...

**Choices Chapter 3**

He still can't believe that he is the heir of the Earl of Grantham. It feels like a dream, he hasn't really decided if it's a good or bad one, but the last month since he received a letter from the Earl of Grantham feels surreal. As the car comes to a halt in front of the abbey and he helps his mother out of the car he feels that this dinner will be different then all the other dinners he has attended at the abbey.

As he and his mother joins the others his eyes are emergently drawn to what he can only describe as the most beautiful woman in the world. But why does it look like she is wearing a mask to cover that she is unhappy?

- Matthew!

He shakes Roberts outstretched hand.

- I want you to meet my oldest daughter.

He follows Robert as he leads him to the woman.

- Matthew, this is my oldest, Mary, Mary, this is my new heir, Matthew.

- So you are the new heir?

He turns to his right as a man in his forties approaches them.

- And you most be Sir Richard.

The two men shake hands. Then Carson announces that dinner is served. He watches as Richard possessively guides Mary, and then he realised that he has been so obsessed with her face that he hasn't realised that she is pregnant.

xxxxx

The next day he takes his bicycle up to the abbey. As he approach he notice a woman walking the grounds and he soon realise that it's Mary. He leaves his bicycle next to a tree and walks toward her.

- Cousin Mary, what a nice surprise.

As she turns around he is realising that she is crying.

- Are you okay?

- Yes off course. I'm just a bit hormonal.

He hands her a handkerchief.

- Thank you. Are you here to meet my father? He and my husband is in the library preparing the papers.

- Papers?

Her facial expression changes to wonder.

- Yes, my husband has agreed to lend my father money.

- Why?

- He hasn't told you?

- No!

- My fathers lost a lot of money; he needs a loan to save to Downton.

- Is that why you are unhappy?

He just realise what he has asked her. Think then talk, think then talk Matthew.

- I don't know what you are talking about, excuse me.

She begins to walk away from him.

- Mary, wait, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just got a feeling that you marrying Sir Richard weren't as much as a choice as a duty.

- We all got our part to play Matthew.

With those words she walks away.

The next day she and Sir Richard have left Downton to return to London.

xxxxx

- My lord, this just arrives.

Carson hands Robert a telegram.

- Mary just gave birth to a boy. I better go inform Cora.

As Robert leaves the room Matthew pours himself a glass. He isn't sure what he is feeling. The day that Mary and Sir Richard had left he had asked Robert to tell him the whole story. He had listened as the Earl had explained how he had asked Mary to help him save Downton, how she had left for London and then returned with a fiancé and now eight months, not nine, after their wedding she had given birth to their first child. "We all got our part to play" Her father had given her the orders and Sir Richard had taken advantage of those orders. What if they had found him earlier? What had he done? What could he have done? He didn't have any money of his own, at least not as much as Sir Richard had.

xxxxx

She sat in the nursery watching her son sleep. He turned two months today. She heard how Richard walked through the corridor towards the room. She hadn't seen him for three months. He had travelled back to America for business. This would be his first meeting with his son.

- Mary?

- I want you to meet someone.

He walked up next to her.

- Eric Richard Carlisle. You do nurse him, don't you?

- Yes.

Mary still remembered how shocked she had been when Richard had said that she should nurse their children. It wasn't something people in her position did, but she didn't regret it. She loved her son.

- Let's go to bed.

They stepped out form the nursery walked toward their bedroom.

- Close the door.

- But I won't hear…

- We can open it afterwards.

He hugged her from behind, grabbing her breasts.

- Let's start on the next one.

He didn't make her pike. It felt like a statement, she was his now, he didn't need to charm her or impress her. It was hard and fast.

She awoke by Eric's cries.

- Are you hungry?

She stroke his head as he was eating. After Eric had fallen back to sleep she tried to sneak back into the bedroom. She really wanted to sleep, a two month took a lot of energy.

- Take your nightdress of.

Richard scared her, but she did as she was told and joined him in bed.

- Lie down on your stomach.

She did and he began to stroke between her legs and then he rolled on top of her and entered her.


End file.
